Why Tinder is set to put ‘women first’ with a major app change

Tinder is set to let women choose whether or not they want to initiate a conversation with their matches on the dating app.

From unwanted messages to inappropriate replies, dating through an app may be the modern way, but there’s no denying it can be a battlefield – especially if you’re a woman.

Which is exactly why the popular dating app, Tinder is set to make a major change by letting women decide who initiates the conversation – or not. Basically, the power is now in our hands.

Currently it’s a free-for-all as anyone, irrespective of gender, can start a conversation on the app.

“Often, women don’t really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that’s great,” says Match CEO Mandy Ginsberg, a company which owns Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid.

“Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference.”

Basically, the power is now in our hands.

But it’s not the first time women have experienced using such a feature. Bumble, which was launched by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd (who left the company and sued for alleged sexual harassment and discrimination), uses this concept as the basis of their app. Women make the first move and there is a window of 24 hours to receive a reply (you know, to keep things moving along).

As of April 2015, Tinder users swiped through 1.6 billion profiles and racked up more than 26 million matches per day. Clearly, we’re invested.

But Ginsberg stresses that the change is “not a reaction to any competitor” but simply listening to women’s needs.

“We have to constantly listen to what women want and address their needs, not just on Tinder but on all products,” she says.

Last year Tinder also rolled out Tinder Gold, a new feature that will allow you to see who has liked you – before you decide whether to swipe left or right on them.